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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Chinese player Fuoliver (温酒斩华佗) had notably done 4 f2p series on 4
different servers (with 4 different classes; they were pure runs with $0
spent and no extra arenas), the latest
completed in mid-November just before GvG. He’s also one of the most
respected and popular players/streamers in the Chinese scene, known for
his knowledgeable and informative streams.

His goal for this attempt was to build a relatively straightforward deck
by opening a reasonable number of packs (to an extent) and show new
players how a journey to legend can be achieved realistically. The
original plan was to use either warlock or mage, but he settled on mage
after opening a few packs.

He stated clearly from the beginning that he did not want to simulate
a completely f2p experience this time, which might be difficult for new
players to replicate due to difficulty in piloting the decks created
(they are usually far more punishing on mistakes).

This was seen in his last f2p deck (otk warrior on NA, as linked
above), where he mentioned that it was a very difficult deck to play
properly and does not recommend new players to use it. He also stated
that he wanted a more non-destructive approach to dusting for this run,
so after the first few packs he will not dust playable cards (that are
usable in other decks but useless to his deck) to better simulate the
new player experience.

Decklist (This has been anglicised by me, due to requests. original list here):
It's a poor man's mech mage; 1200-1300 dust, no Naxx/BRM - Just about
the whole run was done with slight variations of it, this exact one was
what he was using at the end of the first day. He subsequently tweaked
often with the mech yeti and sorcerer's apprentice spot, mostly subbing
in either water elemental, stranglethorn tiger or second Azure Drake.

Packs opened: 20+. I understand that he bought the 7-pack bundle
twice on the first day and stopped opening packs after he was happy with
the deck. He did not disenchant decent, playable cards (that can be
used in other decks) after the first 10 packs.

Games played: 300+ (Reference for number of games to legend based on different win rates.)

Note: It’s a little difficult for me to verify exact packs and games
since I have a lot of problems viewing the VODs, but the numbers are
definitely in the ball park.

Some notable comments from the Chinese community

Q: It’s not a f2p run, he bought packs

Yes, he did. He opened 20+ packs in the first few days, the key point
was that the run was done 99% with a 1200-1300 dust, no adventures
deck.

Q: The run was done on Asia, which is easier than the China server.

Possible, maybe even likely, but there are no hard stats supporting
that. Even assuming that was true, he would probably have made it there
on any of the servers anyway.

Q: The environment seems much more difficult than last year for f2p players

He agrees (as you can read from his last entry below), he thinks
standard of play has risen significantly across the board compared to
when he did his previous f2p runs towards the end of last year.

Q: He is much more skilled than the regular player, and has much
more time on his hands, normal people will never be able to do this.

Most definitely, getting a new account (with this amount of money
spent) to legend in 6 days is unfathomable for new players, no one is
advising that! He just wants to show that with the right deck and
learning, even new players have a good chance to beat net-decks stacked
with legendaries and adventures cards.

Stream and VODS

His entire run was streamed on zhanqi at his huatuo channel. VODS for the run can be found on his youku channel here. Please note that they are frequently extremely laggy
(and spammy) when accessing from the West, youku is essentially
unwatchable for me, zhanqi is sometimes ok when it's in a good mood.

Translation for his reports (posted in a thread
on the NGA forums) starts after the break, if anyone wants to read
through them. Most of them were posted before, I added his final
write-up.

Introduction

It’s been more than half a year since the last “Solo-queue from Zero”
series [Note: this is a direct translation of 从零单排, which is I presume a
loan term from MOBA games. I translated it as "Starting from Scratch"
previously]. Since moving over to Zhanqi (streaming site), I’ve been
swamped with tournaments, events and real life/family matters. I’ve been
practising less and become more distant with viewers and fans. My
standard of play has dipped, and

I’ve lost some of my passion for
Hearthstone.

This was not what I had in mind when I quit my (civil servant) job
and committed to Hearthstone full-time. The reason why I committed to
Hearthstone was to 1) give my dream a proper shot: to become World
Champion and, 2) to get more people to play and love card games.

I’ve decided that this [slump] cannot continue and I need to make
some changes. Therefore, I’m starting the new account series again,
partly to dig deep and push myself in a different way, and partly to
provide guidance and confidence to the many beginners who have a limited
collection.

I’m starting the new account on Asia for this attempt. The current
plan is to open 7 packs (or 1 adventure wing) every 4 hours of play, I
think this way of playing is more relevant to a beginner, and is a
better simulation of a new player’s experience. [NOTE:
He has since stopped opening packs, since he does not see a need to. As
far as I know, he has opened 14 paid packs to date, and is not using any
of the legendaries that he opened].

I invite and welcome everyone to watch my stream on Zhanqi, come
cheer me on! This will also be where I record my daily progress.

10th July – Day 1 - Playtime: 8 hours

I’ve decided to adopt a non-destructive approach to opening packs
this time; besides the first few packs (free ones + first 7), I will not
disenchant the cards that are of decent value (i.e. playable). This is,
again, to better simulate a beginner’s experience.

I used more than 2 hours to clear up the tutorial, basic AI and the
free arena. I unpacked some mechs and mech mage cards, and actually
opened a Toshley [NOTE: which he is not using in his deck, as you will
see from the decklist below], so I decided to attempt the climb with
mage.

I hit Rank 15 after the 1st 4 hours, and my wife opened the new packs
for me, unpacking a Leeroy, which was useless to me. After quickly
hitting Rank 10, I met a barrage of warriors which proved to be very
challenging, and I ended the stream at Rank 9: 4 stars today. I will
probably make some tech changes to adapt against weapon classes
tomorrow.

Had to go to the movies with the missus today, so I only streamed 5
hours. There are no big changes to the decklist, the tech cards have
been going in and out, currently playing water elemental
to counter weapon classes. I have not disenchanted the ladder-usable
cards that I’ve opened, and I do not intend to open new packs at the
moment. The current decklist costs 1200 dust with no adventure cards, I
feel it’s pretty strong, currently at Rank 5.

I invite friends to try the deck on CN, I think it’s viable to climb
the ladder well with it. This series is for beginners, that was partly
why I chose mech mage as it’s a simple deck; I believe my road to legend
can be replicated. Also, I will be hosting a giveaway when I hit Rank
1, the prize is this Asia account after I hit legend. Once again, I
invite and welcome you to watch my stream.

12-13th July 2015 - Days 3 and 4

Sorry I was too tired yesterday so I did not update, here's a summary
of the last two days. It was pretty smooth sailing from Rank 12 to rank
5 [I think this was referring to the 2nd day], but I misplayed quite a
bit on the 3rd day due to fatigue, and had a few unlucky moments, so I
was knocked back to Rank 5 - 0 stars by the end of Day 3. After a good
night's rest, this afternoon I rode a streak to Rank 2, and spent the
day oscillating between Ranks 3 and 2, eventually ending up at Rank 3 - 2
stars. I will try my best and strive to hit legend tomorrow.
The decklist has not changed much, except I took out a water elemental
for a Stranglethorn Tiger. It has worked very well, and helped secured a
few wins.

This has been the most tiring “solo-queue” attempt yet, it’s clear
that the overall standard of play of Hearthstone players has risen
significantly in the past 6 months, it’s pretty challenging if you’re
completely new. However, I firmly believe that a new player can get to
the higher rungs of the ladder with appropriately chosen decks; the
final push to legend will depend on one’s ability to adapt, and some
luck.

I chose mage for this attempt and thought it should be fairly
straightforward initially. It was smooth sailing before Rank 5, but I
was struggling from Rank 5 to Rank 2. After countless tweaks to the
deck, I finally made it in 205 wins [His previous attempts took 108, 98,
120 and 168 wins respectively]. Dr Boom and Sylvanas are this deck’s
greatest enemies/challenges. After endless yo-yoing through the ranks, I
finally made it! 6 days and 300+ games of mech mage is no doubt tiring,
but I’m really happy to hit legend. This was the decklist used for the last few games.

I hope this can provide some encouragement and confidence for both
new players and others who aspire to hit legend, and I welcome everyone
to watch the VODs of my climb. I believe watching the VODs will raise
your standard of play and be of some benefit.

Here’s to everyone making legend!

tl;dr- Chinese player fuoliver brings a poor man’s mech mage
deck (~1300 dust, no adventures) in 6 days to legend on Asia. He opened
20+ packs throughout his run and hit legend in 205 wins. He hopes his
run can encourage new players to keep learning and overcome the
perceived difficulties they’re facing.